CU takes rare steps amid high demand

City Utilities of Springfield is pulling out some rarely used tools as it faces high demand and power delivery issues brought on by inclement weather.

In addition to asking business and individual accounts to conserve electricity, the city-owned utility company is working with commercial and industrial customers who use an "extremely high volume of natural gas," said spokesperson Joel Alexander.

CU initiated a natural gas curtailment agreement with 25 such customers, Alexander said. The companies receive a reduced cost for natural gas, with the stipulation that they'll switch to backup fuel sources when CU enacts the agreement, he said.

"Other than one day in January of 2014 and another in January of 2019, this is the only other time and is the longest period of time that we have made that request," Alexander said via email.

He was unavailable for follow-up questions this morning.

CU yesterday began sending out communications to customers calling on decreased power usage through Feb. 19. In a news release, CU officials pointed to severe cold creating delivery problems from natural gas wells in Texas and Oklahoma. Alexander said the natural gas in question already was purchased by CU.

CU customers are being asked to:
• turn down thermostats by at least 2 degrees from their normal settings, with 68 degrees as the suggested average setting;
• limit the use of natural gas fireplaces and plug-in electric space heaters;
• turn down water heater temperatures; and
• examine other opportunities to reduce the use of electricity and natural gas.

Additionally, CU has activated its natural gas peak shaving system that combines propane and air to assist with peak demand.

“We are asking our community to work together, as we have so many times in the past, to get through this peak period with as minimal impact as possible,” CU General Manager Gary Gibson said in the release. “We have already seen businesses volunteer to reduce their usage, and we are asking everyone else to do the same.”